Here’s another reason to get excited about the incoming Smart #1 - it’s being singled-out for praise because of how safe it is.
The Smart #1 is a compact, all-electric family car that’s set to arrive in the UK later this year.
It’ll feature a 66 kWh battery, a range of up to 273 miles, extremely decent power of 272 PS, and 150 kW DC rapid charging abilities.
Smart - part of the Mercedes-Benz Group - is also giving us a special BRABUS version of the #1 (below), which ratchets the power up to 428 PS and means it’ll accelerate from 0-62mph in just 3.9 seconds.
All in all, then, the #1 should be a brilliant rival to the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3, Cupra Born and Kia Niro EV.
And now the #1 is also being applauded for how safe it is.
At last week’s What Car? Car of the Year 2023 awards, there was a special ‘Safety Award’ sponsored by leading car safety and security experts Thatcham Research.
The main prize went to the Tesla Model Y - but the runner-up trophy went to the Smart #1.
The #1 was recently awarded the full five stars by safety assessors Euro NCAP and it comes as standard with autonomous emergency braking, speed assistance and a clever lane assist system.
Steve Huntingford, Editor of What Car?, said:
“The Smart #1 demonstrates that it's possible to make an affordable small electric car that is also safer than many larger models.
“This is a significant achievement; small cars have to work harder than larger ones to get top safety scores, because they’re lighter and there’s less metal to absorb an impact. And the #1 also does well in Euro NCAP's Safety Assist tests, with an 88% score, meaning it reduces the chances of you being involved in a collision in the first place.”
David Browne, CEO Smart UK, said:
“Ever since the brand’s inception, Smart has placed safety innovation at the forefront of its product development. With the #1, we have taken that heritage to new heights, combining advanced engineering with state-of-the-art technologies to bring safety to the core of the driving experience.
“Following the achievement of a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating, this strong result in the What Car? Safety Award is yet another endorsement of the smart #1’s quality, and we look forward to customers experiencing the model for themselves.”
And electrified vehicles are, in general, absolutely nailing it on the safety front.
Thatcham recently revealed its top 10 list of the safest cars of 2022. And no less than nine of the contenders are either full electric or hybrid vehicles.
The only internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicle on the list was the BMW X1 (below).
Meanwhile the other fully-electric lease options that were heralded were the Hyundai Ioniq 6, Mercedes-Benz EQE, Nissan Ariya, ORA Funky Cat, and the Toyota BZ4X.
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